Mobile Tech & Gadgets

studies a huge submarine cable with distant Ireland to stop being an energy island

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Spain may have emerged as one of the EU states that more and better have understood and adopted the energy transition towards renewables, but there is an unquestionable geographical reality: The Iberian Peninsula is an energy island which has a problem called France. A bottleneck that prevents Spain from exporting its enormous surplus of solar energy, so the European Commission wants to correct it with ambitious connection goals for 2030. How? Looking at the sea that surrounds the peninsula in search of partners “to lend a helping hand” to solve this limitation: across the Mediterranean with two gigantic connections to Italy and also towards the Atlantic, with a cable between Spain and Ireland. The future cable between Spain and Ireland. The planned route would link the northern coast of Spain, specifically Asturias, with the southern coast of Ireland, with an estimated length of between 1,000 and 1,100 kilometers, as collects The Energy Newspaper. Although there is no defined route yet, the infrastructure will have to navigate considerable depths in the Bay of Biscay and the Celtic Sea. Go ahead that the agreement signed between Spain and Ireland It is a Memorandum of Understanding to study the feasibility of an underwater electricity cable within the framework of the WindEurope 2026 congress held in Madrid signed by the Spanish vice president Sara Aagesen and the Irish minister Darragh O’Brien. Why is it important. Because both Spain and Ireland share a structural problem: they are one of the least interconnected electricity markets in Europe and are classified as “energy islands” by the EU, which limits their ability to export renewable surpluses and reinforce their security of supply (friendly reminder: the blackout). From the point of view of energy security, more interconnection means less dependence on imported fossil fuels and more resilience in the face of shortages. This cable would diversify Spanish export routes, a detailed priority objective in REE Electrical Planning. The energy logic of the project rests on the complementarity of renewable resources: Spain would export solar surpluses and Ireland would provide electricity generated in its offshore wind farms. Both technologies have generation profiles decoupled in time, so the exchange is technically valuable to stabilize both electrical networks: when the sun shines in Spain, it can power Dublin, when Atlantic storms sweep the north, its wind turbines can sustain Spanish industry. Context. Spain currently has barely 3,000 MW of interconnection capacity, which represents a ratio of 2%, according to REE dataon its installed mix of approximately 150 GW. That is to say, it fails to meet the minimum target of 10% set by the EU for 2020 and has to work a miracle to reach the 15% planned for 2030. This chronic deficit limits the capacity of the Spanish system to export the growing surpluses of wind and solar energy. The project arises at a time of maximum urgency for energy independence after the gas crisis. Recent war conflicts have led the EU to accelerate the processing of large electrical interconnections between European markets as a tool for collective energy security in search of self-sufficiency with its own resources. Initiatives like the plan REPowerEU They have these cross-border interconnections as one of the levers with absolute priority. Map of transmission and storage projects. ENTSO-E Main connections in Spain. A brief summary of the very few electrical connections of the Spanish state with other EU states: Existing: Spain–France (Pyrenean land interconnection), with a current capacity of approximately 3,000 MW through the Pyrenees and Spain – Portugal, through various bidirectional land high voltage lines that make up the Iberian market. Under construction or approved: the submarine cable of the Bay of Bizkaia between Spain and France, scheduled to enter service in 2028, will add 2,000 MW of additional capacity with France. The wire Fontefríabetween Portugal and Galicia, will provide about 1,000 MW of exchange. Projected (under study or preliminary phase): Apollo Link between Spain and Italy, of 2000 MW and entering service in 2032. Iberia Link between Spain and Italy of 1,200 MW. Trans-Pyrenean land connection through Navarra and Aragon, blocked by the French government. How are they going to do it?. Technically, the project would be executed using a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable, the standard technology for long-distance underwater interconnections, due to its lower energy loss in transportation compared to alternating current. There are direct and operational precedents of a similar scale, such as the recent Celtic Interconnector between Ireland and France. After signing the Memorandum of Understanding to study the viability of an underwater electricity cable that links both states, the project must be technically and economically evaluated jointly by Red Eléctrica and EirGrid, the operators of both states. They will then present it to the European authorities for possible inclusion in the list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI), which would give it access to European funding and accelerated administrative procedures. ENTSO-Ethe association of European network operators, publishes every two years the Ten-Year Network Development Planthe technical reference framework to prioritize and evaluate this type of projects. Yes, but. The project is in its earliest phase, which means that it has everything ahead of it and a submarine cable is a major technical and economic infrastructure. A cable of more than 1,000 kilometers in length implies an estimated investment that would exceed 2,000-3,000 million euros, a construction period of several years once approved and logistical challenges in North Atlantic waters. Furthermore, the route through Asturias would require reinforcing internal transport networks to cross the Cantabrian Mountains to connect with the large solar generation centers in the interior of the peninsula. In Xataka | The submarine cables belonged to the teleoperators, and now the big technology companies are controlling them In Xataka | The first great Atlantic submarine cable that connected us to the internet says goodbye for a simple reason: it was too expensive to repair it Cover | ENTSOE

We’ve found molecules linked to life on Mars, but let’s not break out the champagne just yet

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The Curiosity rover has carried out a chemical experiment on Mars that has never been done on another planet. Thanks to it, it has detected organic molecules that until now had gone unnoticed by us. Does that mean that there is or was life on the red planet? It could be, but it could also be due to many other things. Although we always read this type of news with joy and it gives a lot of sensational headlines, we must analyze the results with the optimism of what they mean for science, but the caution of what they imply in the search for extraterrestrial life. Chemical advances millions of kilometers away. Curiosity’s SAM instrument has carried out an experiment known as thermochymolysis. In it, a reagent called tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) is used. to break large molecules into small fragments. Thanks to this, organic molecules can be detected that are invisible with other methods. Among other organic molecules, some rich in nitrogen have been found, which could be related to DNA synthesis. The discovery of benzothiophene, present in some biological processes, also stands out. Let’s not go up. The authors of the study that has just been published thanks to the Curiosity rover they call for caution with its results. They insist that all the molecules found could come from abiotic processes or have reached Mars from other points in space. For example, benzothiophene could be formed by geological or hydrothermal processes. In addition, its presence has been found in meteorites and asteroids on Earth. It could also have reached Mars like this. Only two tries. Regardless of whether the findings have to do with life or not, this study is very relevant for two reasons. On the one hand, because it was the first time that this experiment could be carried out outside of Earth. And, secondly, because Curiosity I only had two tries to do it, but he made good use of them. This is because TMAH was in the exact dose needed, inside two sealed capsules. If the first failed, the second could be tried. If this one did it too, goodbye experiment. That it was done without problems has been a great achievement. This is an annotated close-up of three holes that NASA’s Curiosity drilled into Martian rock at a location nicknamed “Mary Anning” in October 2020. The sample where the rover found a large number of organic molecules came from “Mary Anning 3.” (A nearby site nicknamed “Mary Anning 2” was left unused.) NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS A very old search. Science has been obsessed with the search for life on Mars since in the 17th century some scientists detected with their telescopes what appeared to be the presence of water ice. Already in the 21st century, advances in space exploration allowed orbiters and rovers to be sent to Mars in order to analyze possible signs of life. Some were found. For example, in 2018 methane was detected in its atmosphere. This could be the result of microbial activity, but also geological processes. In 2020 Curiosity found carbon isotopes and later, in 2025, the longest carbon chain found to date. It is true that carbon is necessary for life, but it can also be related to many abiotic processes. In none of these cases has it been possible to demonstrate that there is life behind it, so we still cannot prove that there is life on Mars. Maybe we lack tools. In 2023 a study was carried out in the Atacama Desert to analyze the tools normally used to search for life on Mars. This desert is one of the largest Martian analogues we have on Earth. It has many similar characteristics to those of the red planet; but, of course, it also has more than proven life. However, when analyzed with Mars exploration tools, many of the traces of life that should have appeared were not detected. This shows that perhaps we haven’t found life on Mars yet because we don’t have the right tools. Although there may also simply not be any. The future. Curiosity has carried out this experiment directly on Mars. However, the ideal would be to send rock samples to Earth, to use other more complex analysis technologies there. Another rover, Perseverance, is prepared to collect samples and send them to Earth. In fact, it was scheduled to do so. However, the mission was canceled by the United States Congress last January. Meanwhile, other space agencies aim to replicate the TMAH experiments. This is the case of the ExoMars mission of the European Space Agencywhose Rosalind Franklin rover will also travel with this reagent to carry out thermochemolysis. We’ll have to wait to see what he discovers. Whatever it is, as always, we will read it with caution. Image | POT In Xataka | ExoMars, this is Europe’s most ambitious mission to Mars

This is the silent crisis of the chip of the future

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While the world has its eyes on the race for traditional silicon and artificial intelligence, a silent crisis is brewing in the global technological bowels. The United States and Europe are investing billions to recover the sovereignty of microchips, but they have ignored a material that could put the future of robotics, defense and energy in check: gallium. Western blindness to an absolute monopoly. Gallium is not as high-profile as lithium, it is not even technically a “rare earth”—as the specialized publication China Talk—but it is of irreplaceable critical importance. While the US administration strives to shield its supply chains, Beijing has been moving its chips around the board with impeccable stealth. The data is overwhelming. China currently controls 99% of the global primary production of galliumwhile the United States stopped producing it almost four decades ago. The great particularity of this material, according to Geopolitical Monitoris that it is not extracted directly from a mine, but is a byproduct of the processing of aluminum and zinc. This makes it deeply vulnerable: its production cannot magically increase no matter how much demand rises. This dependency is not a mere theory. China has already started using this domain as a geopolitical weaponimposing export restrictions in 2023 and escalating to a complete ban on shipments to the United States at the end of 2024. From mastering the mineral to conquering the factory. The Asian giant’s strategy was not the result of chance. As pointed out China Talksince the early 2000s, China forced its aluminum producers to extract gallium, achieving self-sufficiency and global control of the raw mineral (what is known in the industry as a market upstream). But the real drama for the West is happening right now in the final products (downstream). China has given birth to the “TSMC of GaN”: Innoscience. This Suzhou-based company has burst the global market for Gallium Nitride (GaN) power semiconductors, sinking its American rivals – such as Navitas or EPC – by offering prices up to 50% lower. Such a collapse in prices is not magic. The secret lies in a lethal combination of state financial muscle and technical audacity. As revealed China Talkin its early years Innoscience It operated with negative gross margins of 266%, supported by more than $350 million in government funds. They were willing to lose money to gain the world. Added to this is its industrial business model. While Western companies are fabless (they design the chip but pay third-party factories, such as the Taiwanese TSMC, to assemble it), Innoscience manufactures its own chips. They were the first to mass produce 200mm wafers, allowing them to get 80% more components out at a fraction of the cost. Against this backdrop, the pattern that is drawn is chilling and mirrors that of the solar panel industry: European giants such as STMicroelectronics They have ended up surrendering to the superiority of Innoscience, injecting $50 million into the Chinese firm in exchange for access to its factories. Goodbye to traditional silicon. To understand the seriousness of the issue, you have to understand why silicon is no longer enough. As they point out from AZOM, Silicon is reaching its physical limits. Gallium Nitride (GaN), on the other hand, is a “broadband” semiconductor (wide bandgap). Compared to 1.1 eV for silicon, GaN has a bandgap of 3.4 eV, allowing it to operate at much higher voltages and temperatures without melting. Translated into simpler words: GaN provides greater energy efficiencythe devices do not heat up and allow the size of the components to be drastically reduced. That’s why our mobile phone chargers are now smaller but charge the battery in minutes. Beyond a phone. Gallium Nitride is the master pillar of critical technologies: AI data centers: These chips reduce energy losses by up to 30%, something vital in the face of the devouring electrical appetite of Artificial Intelligence. Electric vehicles: They are key for on-board chargers and converters, radically improving their autonomy. Defense and Military: Advanced radars, missile systems, electronic warfare and the 5G antennas that connect us all depend on GaN. A future dictated from Suzhou. The market is about to explode. From Geopolitical Monitor projects that the sector GaN semiconductor devices It will go from generating 3.06 billion dollars in 2024 to almost 12.5 billion dollars in 2030. And the lion’s slice seems to have a Chinese name. It is a fatal mistake to think that Innoscience He wins only because he is cheap thanks to the million-dollar subsidies from his government. As clarified China Talkthe company innovates at the highest level, designing chips across the entire voltage spectrum (from 15V to 1200V). Its quality is such that it has become the only Chinese partner of American giants like NVIDIA and Google to design the 800-volt power architectures that will power the “AI factories” of the future. The forecast is dark, but there is an ace up the sleeve. If the West does not react, Innoscience will go from having a dominant position to an absolute monopoly. If a new trade war breaks out, car, robot and data center manufacturers in the US and Europe will have to ask permission from a single Chinese company to be able to turn on their machines. Despite the pessimism, the battle is not entirely lost. Western companies and governments are testing various containment strategies: The judicial trench: Companies like EPC and Infineon They have sued Innoscience in the US for patent infringement, achieving some import restrictions. However, this is just a patch; The bans usually apply to loose chips, but not to final products assembled in China, and the Asians can redesign their models to bypass the ban. The technological leap (300 mm): The great hope is in changing the rules of the game. Texas Instruments (USA) and Infineon (Germany) are leading the move to larger, 300mm GaN wafers. They have the advantage that the highly specialized machinery to manufacture them is in German and American hands, heavily protected by export controls. Furthermore, at the basic … Read more

In 2023, an exclusive Rolex was stolen from Keanu Reeves’ house in LA. A year later they found him in the most unexpected place: Chile

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In September, Rolex, the luxury when it comes to watches, filed a patent application that gave an idea of ​​the house’s problems with thefts and counterfeits of its most legendary models: they sought use NFT chips and certificates of authenticity based on blockchain to identify the models. The story (with a happy ending) of Keanu Reeve’s watches has surely only reinforced that idea. John Wick’s watch. The story begins several years ago, during the filming of the film ‘John Wick 4’ that the actor played. At the end of filming, Reeves pays tribute to himself with an exclusive Rolex Submariner valued at $9,000one with the engraved words “2021, JW4, thank you, The John Wick Five” next to the actor’s name. In December 2023, someone entered the artist’s house in Hollywood Hills (Los Angeles) taking several high-value jewelry, including the exclusive model from the Swiss luxury house. Enter Keanu’s house. Curiously, It wasn’t the first time it happened.. In fact, in 2014 the home was broken into. up to two times in three days. The first time, Reeves confronted an intruder in his library, the second, the cleaning staff found an intruder in his pool. But there is more. Early last year, Reeves requested a temporary restraining order against a man who allegedly trespassed on the actor’s property at least six times between November 2022 and January 2023. In one case, the alleged stalker left a backpack containing a DNA testing kit, one he intended to use on Reeves to prove they were related in some way, according to the order request. An unexpected find in Santiago. The news broke in December 2024 in the city of Santiago, where Chilean police recovered three watches belonging to the actorincluding the Rolex Submariner from the action movie and two other models described by authorities as “valuable.” Apparently, during a series of raids on four homes, Chilean authorities seized high-value jewelry and watches, including those three models that belonged to Reeves. According to CNN reportslocal authorities collaborated with US officials to establish the link between the watches and the robbery at the actor’s residence. As a result, a 21-year-old man is under arrest. Cinematic irony. The media has not stopped repeating a curiosity these days: the parallelism with the plot of the saga itself ‘John Wick‘, where Reeves’ character begins his story of revenge after a robbery (and the death of his dog) at his home. Outside of this trivial detail, the famous actor does not seem clear about returning to the role in future installments of the saga. The reason? Mainly age. Although his heart says he wants to do it, Keanu Reeves he joked shortly after in an interview that his knees might not be ready for another film due to the physical demands of the character. The symbolism of John Wick’s Rolex. As for the recovered watch and beyond its economic value, the Submariner represents Reeves’ appreciation for his team, known in the industry for giving away personalized watches as gestures of gratitude after finishing filming. In this case, the actor had kept one model and had given the rest to the doubles who played him in the film. Submariner, luxury on the wrist. The Rolex model is an icon of watchmaking and the first diving watch reference Truly functional. Launched in 1953 and designed specifically for divers, it became a symbol of innovation for its water resistance up to 100 meters (later extended to 300 meters) and its durability in extreme conditions. Its timeless design, with a unidirectional rotating bezel to measure immersion time and its legibility underwater, has established it as a standard in both the professional and fashion fields. In fact, before Keanu Reeves, the model He has been associated with many other historical and cultural figuresfrom ‘James Bond’ to marine explorers and other celebrities, a symbol of technical excellence and style that maintain it as one of the most recognized and desired watches in the world. In some cases and as we see, excessively. Image | Dr.K. In Xataka | He forgot some AirPods in his Ferrari: the unexpected trick that helped recover a stolen supercar In Xataka | New York has a problem with car theft. The police’s solution: give away some AirTags A version of this article was published in December 2024

High-speed train coverage in Europe, in a revealing map

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Japan may already have carriages with noise cancellation, windows with 5G and his bullet train is a veteran and that China has the most futuristic trains and supersonic, but the network European high speed railway It represents one of the most advanced transportation infrastructures in the world. This system has transformed the continent’s mobility since 1981, when France laid the foundation inaugurating its first TGV line. Today, high-speed trains have a route of approximately 65,000 kilometers, transporting 2.5 billion passengers a year with 4,900 trains, according to data from the International Union of Railways (UIC). But since a picture is worth a thousand words, it is better to see them displayed on the map of the old continent. This map of Europe’s high-speed rail network is the fruit of the collaborative effort of several Wikimedia Commons users, who update it annually with new projects from from official UIC data. Of course, macro data is one thing and the reality of this train grid is another, because within the network there are huge differences between some areas and others. Even within the “high speed” classification itself. The map uses a color code based on the maximum operating speed allowed on each section, with black for non-high-speed lines: The lines in pink represent the maximum high speed category, 310-320 km/h. State-of-the-art infrastructure with wide curvature radii, controlled slopes and advanced signage. The red lines are the European speed standard: 270 to 300 km/h. The yellow and orange lines are for those trains that reach 200 to 260 km/h, generally on sections with topographical limitations. The dotted green lines correspond to roads under construction or updating, essential to glimpse the future evolution of the network. Europe by high speed train Broadly speaking, Western Europe concentrates the highest density of this infrastructure, especially highlighting the axis that connects Spain, France, Germany and Benelux, while Eastern Europe maintains significantly less development. High-speed lines operational in Europe in December 2025. Wikimedia Because as we move east on the map, the colored lines disappear and space out, evidencing a dramatic infrastructural gap: Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and the Baltic countries practically lack operational high-speed infrastructure, depending on slow conventional lines that severely limit the competitiveness of the railway. And boy does it show: according to the Romanian Ministry of Transportthe Budapest-Bucharest high-speed project with a 590-kilometer line would reduce the current trip from more than 11 hours to approximately 3.5 hours. The project dates back to September 2024 and has an estimated budget of 17 billion euros. With 3,974 kilometers in service (September 2024 data) Spain holds a title: is the high-speed rail network largest in Europe and the second in the whole world, only surpassed by China. And as you can see on the map, it continues to grow. From a technical point of view and as is usual in the state, it has a radial model focused on Madrid. His constructive efficiency is remarkable: Spain has developed the second high-speed network in the world with one of the lowest construction costs per kilometer compared to the rest of the countries with this mode of transport and the lowest among the countries of the European Union. Among the most notable connections is the Eurostar, which connects Paris and London in approximately 2 hours and 16 minutes through the Channel Tunnel. It may not have as much fanfare as crossing a sea, but the Figueres-Perpignan line constitutes an essential 44.4 km link that connects the Spanish railway network with the French network and the rest of the European states, with a double-track section in UIC gauge. The main bottlenecks They are concentrated in mountainous border crossings and pending connections between national networks. Between Austria and Italy, the Brenner Base Tunnel is under construction to improve the Berlin-Palermo railway axis, connecting northern and southern Europe through the Alps. The Pyrenees are another critical point: although there is a Figueres-Perpignan connection, at the border crossing there is a single platform to concentrate everything. From an engineering point of view, the fundamental problem is the saturation of infrastructures that absorb mixed traffic of goods and people. In any case and although the EU since 2000 has invested large sums in high-speed railway infrastructure, faces a heterogeneous and fragmented scene insofar as it cannot force member states to build lines, which, together with the diversity of signaling systems, electrification and national technical standards, constitutes the true structural bottleneck of the European high-speed network. In Xataka | The countries with the most kilometers of high-speed train, displayed in a graph with a brutal dominator: China In Xataka | The big problem of the AVE that Japan has already solved: a bullet train with windows with 5G and noise cancellation to travel in peace Cover | Bernese media via Wikimedia

How the Black Death caused Europe to become obsessed with the act of sneezing for centuries

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Hebrew tradition tells that, just before biting the apple, Adam sneezed. At that moment it seems that he didn’t care much, but after the incident with the fifth piece of fruit a day he ended up interpreting it as “a sign of evil and a harbinger of death.” The noise stayed there, of course, and when the very old Jacob was worried about not getting to see his son, he begged God to change the natural order of things lest a bad sneeze take him to the other neighborhood. That’s where it comes from (collected or perhaps invented anew by medieval tradition) that we desire “health” in Spain, “saúde” in Portugal or “Gesundheit” in Germany to someone who has just sneezed. As if to ward off bad omens; that life is not enough to play with dice. However, because it is common, I still find it surprising how much a simple sneeze has come to mean. Aristotle, explains García-Morenowas convinced that, compared to flatus or belching, the sneeze was the only one that had a ‘sacred nature’ because it came “from the main and deepest and most divine of the organs, the one that contains the spirit.” Hippocrates, on the other hand, although he did not decide on the goodness or badness of sneezing, he did describe the principle of reciprocal inhibition by pointing out that sneezing was, mind you, the best remedy for hiccups. As I said, the history of sneezing in the West cannot be understood in all its complexity without the Black Death. It was then that the “health” of the Jewish tradition or the “Jesus” of the Christian tradition became popular again as a way of wishing that this ‘achís’ was not the doorway of the damned plague. The “God bless you” that still resonates in English formulas (‘bless you’) comes, it seems, from one of the many plagues that struck medieval papal Rome. In contrast, in many other places, sneezing was considered a good thing. Fantastic. Traditional Hindu medicine used to provoke it as a way to balance internal humors and treat illnesses while the more archaic African medicine used it protopsychiatrically as a way to cure mental illness (supposedly caused by the existence of worms in the brain). To finish, to finish at some point, the Aztecs used it for headaches. What is a sneeze really? In reality, a sneeze is something very simple. It is a reflex actionsudden and compulsive, whose purpose is to expel large amounts of air through the nose and (sometimes) also through the mouth. It is, therefore, a physiological reflex that the respiratory system uses defensively. Therefore, it usually occurs when certain foreign particles irritate the nasal mucosa. And yes, I have used “usual” with all the intention in the world. As it seemsand these are average estimates, before each sneeze we inhale about two and a half liters of air. That is the first phase, the inhalation phase. At that moment, the abdominal muscles tense the diaphragm to increase the pressure in the lungs and force the air to come out through the nose at dizzying speed: between 70 and 130 kilometers per hour. The saliva that is usually expelled when sneezing can cover an area of ​​up to 8 square meters. And that is precisely what makes a sneeze one of the worst vectors of disease spread in the world. However, sneezing is most popular precisely when it is most harmless: in spring, summer or autumn. When it is caused by ‘allergic rhinitis’. A classic, indeed. This type of rhinitis, caused by pollen from trees, weeds and grasses, becomes the great recurring character in the lives of practically a third of the population. It is unbearable, unbearable, a cross. But, still, there are worse sneezes. Between 18 and 25% of the population sneezes suddenly when exposed to bright light. This is what is known as ‘photic sneeze‘and it’s an old acquaintance (and a cause of disability) of aviation pilots. Apparently it is hereditary and is produced by an anatomical proximity between the second cranial nerve (the ocular, responsible for carrying visual information to the brain) and the fifth (the trigeminal, which seems to be responsible for sneezing). When there is very bright light, excitation of the optic nerve can cause excitation of the trigeminal nerve. This signal is interpreted as irritation of the mucous membranes and releases a beautiful, annoying and enormous sneeze. Something similar (although this time linked to the medulla oblongata) may be behind people with a natural tendency to sneeze after eating, when they see something pleasant, or even during orgasm. It is already a bad idea, although used well (and even Aristotle would agree with this) it can be seen as a “wonderful” way to improve communication in the bedroom. In Xataka | We have been believing for years that yogurt was the best probiotic. Science is now crowning kefir In Xataka | There are people who sleep four hours a day and are still functional. It’s the closest thing we have to genetic “superheroes” Image | Pexels

invisible plasma bubbles that can leave you without GPS

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The Earth is enveloped by the ionosphere, a layer of ionized gas that acts as a dynamic boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. This region has several key functions for humanity, ranging from protecting us against solar radiation (it absorbs ultraviolet radiation and X-rays) to functioning as a conductive medium for radio waves and satellite signals. But the ionosphere has a problem when night falls on the magnetic equator: a phenomenon occurs that can destabilize GPS, air communications and telecommunications. Although science has been studying it for decades in other equatorial parts, the African Atlantic sector has been a historical blind spot. Tenerife is right in that void and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) been watching for more than ten years to heaven from there. The discovery. The DLR team has confirmed the presence of plasma bubbles (EPB) over Tenerife on a poster in the XVII International Equatorial Aeronomy Symposium (ISEA-17). The phenomenon is not new, but it is the first time that it has been recorded continuously and systematically in this strip of the Atlantic. For this monitoring, they have used two instruments at the same time: a GNSS receiver and an atmospheric luminescence detector, a combination that allows studying the bubbles on both a small and large scale, essential to thoroughly understand their structure. The bubbles that DLR has documented form exclusively at night, reach their peak activity at the equinoxes and can extend vertically up to 1,700 kilometers above the geomagnetic equator, with structures between 40 and 100 kilometers wide moving east at about 100 meters per second, such as collects the Geophysical Research Letters. Whether or not it appears on a given night remains difficult to predict even in the most studied regions. Why is it important. Beyond an atmospheric curiosity, plasma bubbles have direct consequences on critical technologies. As they ascend, they generate ionospheric scintillation: rapid, unpredictable fluctuations in radio signals that degrade GPS, disrupt air communications, and affect satellite telecommunications. And it is not something theoretical: in the geomagnetic storm of April 2023 the European navigation system EGNOS he suffered it. But the phenomenon is also unpredictable: the spatial gradient induced by EPBs is a challenge for aircraft guidance systems in precision approaches, according to Satellite Navigation. Knowing how they behave in the African Atlantic sector is a problem with direct consequences for aviation safety and the digital infrastructure of the region. Context. As explains this study of the Complutense of Madrid in collaboration with the ICTP of Trieste, plasma bubbles are decreases in the electronic density generated by the mechanism of Rayleigh-Taylor instability in the equatorial night sector. When the Sun falls, the ionosphere loses stability: the lower layer becomes denser than the upper one, so the light plasma rises, leaving holes empty of electrons. The bubbles. This same phenomenon was detected recently at the pyramids of Gizah, another area in North Africa. In November 2023, in the midst of a geomagnetic storm, a radar station on the Chinese island of Hainan detected an ionospheric disturbance over the pyramids of Giza, almost 9,500 kilometers to the west. using a LARID super radar (Low Latitude Long Range Ionospheric Radar) developed at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and which was independently validated by GPS receivers in Africa. AND they are not the only ones: There are satellites such as COSMIC-2, GOLD and Swarm that make specific observations. How they do it. The GNSS receiver, which has been operational for more than a decade, detects the flickering that bubbles cause on satellite signals, capturing small-scale irregularities, but without showing their actual shape or size. That is what the second instrument is for: the atmospheric luminescence detector captures the faint light emission that ionospheric oxygen emits at night: where there is a bubble, that light disappears, revealing the actual shape and size of the structure. A decade of GNSS data plus large-scale images: that combination is the methodological novelty of the work. The philosophy is completely opposite to that followed in Egypt: the DLR observes in situ with high resolution and structural detail, the LARID observes at a distance with enormous range but less geometric precision. Yes, but. The DLR research at the moment is a poster and not a scientific paper, with everything it entails: peer review, complete data or conclusions that are more than preliminary. On the other hand, and although the study of the Giza pyramids analyzes the same phenomenon, the detection of plasma bubbles was carried out by an independent Chinese team and with different technology. In addition, many open questions remain, such as how often they occur over Tenerife, how it changes with the seasons, when the scintillation is intense enough to affect navigation systems. In Xataka | Satellite images leave no room for doubt: it has rained so much that Morocco has not looked so green for a decade In Xataka | A 2.5 billion-year-old geological wonder: Zimbabwe’s Great Dam seen by NASA from space Cover | ESA (Sentinel-2) and ESA (Proba-V)

There are people reselling tickets to the World Cup final for 2.3 million dollars. Great news for FIFA

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It is still too early to know if the 2026 World Cup will be a success, a failure or will be added without pain or glory to the extensive chronicle of FIFA. What we can say at this point is that enjoying the tournament in situ it won’t come cheap. Especially if you aspire to see the final, which will be played on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The cost of your tickets it takes months embroiled in controversy, but the debate has soured after some positions have come to light resale market for the price of a 200 m2 apartment in the center of Madrid. All with the veiled pleasure of FIFA. What has happened? That although there is still more than a month until the opening match, the World Cup in North America (to be played between Mexico, Canada and the USA) is already earning the dubious honor of being the most expensive of history. The fans screamed in the sky last decemberwhen the first tickets were launched, but the rates that were offered then seem like a ‘bargain’ when compared to those that are now being achieved in the purchase and sale market. In this secondary trade, channeled through FIFA, there are passes that are offered for the same What does a 200 m2 apartment in Madrid cost? Does it sell so expensive? Yes. The news has advanced it the Associated Press (AP) agency, but it comes with taking a look at the buying and selling platform of tickets hosted on the FIFA website to verify it. If we look for available passes for the final on July 19, we will see that there are people reselling them for more than two million dollars. To be precise, there are at least four seats on sale in the lower stand (behind the goal) for a whopping $2,299,998.85. Not all tickets cost the same, but resale prices are generally not affordable for everyone. The cheapest seats, 3rd category, are offered for $10,900. If you want a position with better views and more comfort, you can add a few thousand more to that figure and purchase higher category passes for $16,100, $33,800, $43,200 or even $207,000. The prize goes to the entries of 2.3 million and 991,500, which is what a seller asks for seats located in the front area. On Wednesday FIFA itself put up for sale a new block of tickets on its direct sales platform, where it was possible to find seats for the final by $10,990. Who controls these rates? Direct sale tickets are launched by FIFA itself, but things change when we talk about the secondary market. There, in the so-called “Resale/Exchange Market” the federation does not control prices, although it does take a considerable part of the business. For each transaction you pocket a commission which is divided into two parts. One, 15%, is applied to whoever purchases the ticket. Another, of the same value, is borne by whoever detaches from the entry for resale. As they explain in Guardianthat means that if one of the tickets that cost 2.3 million is finally sold, FIFA would deposit $690,000 into its account. But… How is that possible? In other editions of the World Cup, the resale price of tickets was limited at face value, but this time FIFA has changed the approach. The reason? First, adapt to the market of the host countries, especially the United States, which is the one will host more games of the tournament. Secondly, FIFA hopes that by channeling the buying and selling itself, the use of portals such as StubHub will be discouraged. “FIFA has established a ticketing and secondary market model that reflects standard ticket market practices for major sporting and entertainment events in host countries,” alleges in a statement cited by the Associated Press. “Resale facilitation fees are aligned with industry standards in the North American sports and entertainment sectors.” Is it an isolated controversy? The controversy has now arisen due to the prices that are being reached in resale, but the truth is that the cost of the tickets has been a matter of discussion since the first phase of sale, activated in December 2025. The focus has been on both the prices themselves and the system applied by FIFA in the sale, the ‘variable pricing’similar to dynamic rates. Consumer organizations like the OCU have already raised their voices for that same reason. For reference, in December tickets for the final were already being sold for prices ranging from 4,185 and 8,680 dollars. And this despite the initial promise to offer them for 60 dollars in the group stage. “They only exist as ridiculous green splotches on the edge of seating maps, little more than mirages of inclusion,” ironizes Bryan Armen, from Guardian. Does it only happen with tickets? No. The tickets are so expensive because, FIFA allegesare one of their main sources of income. However, passes to matches are not the only thing that is valued at a gold price. In recent days, another controversy has arisen around the celebration of the World Cup in the US that revolves around something that has little to do with sport: public transportation. The New Jersey rail operator has decided that those who want to buy round-trip tickets to travel from Manhattan to MetLife and watch the July 19 final there will have to pay 150 dollars. It is almost 11 times more than what the same service costs on a normal day, when it is around $12.9. Images | FIFA and Wikipedia In Xataka | Mexico City is already noticing the economic effect of the World Cup: it is losing homes and gaining Airbnb apartments

Excess control is triggering the anxiety of an entire generation of children

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They are there for everything. They solve problems before they appear, supervise every school assignment, do every basic procedure, intercede with teachers and leave no room for failure. This description, which for decades has been disguised as ‘unconditional love’ and ‘protection’, for science is simply helicopter parenting. A way of being parents that, although it seems to be very beneficial for the little ones, the reality is that it is taking its toll on the autonomy and emotions of current generations. A confirmed epidemic. When researchers look at the impact of helicopter parenting on a large scale, there really isn’t much of a doubt. For this we can go to a recent Norwegian systematic review which analyzed 38 independent studies, where it was found that between 70% and 90% of the research points to a relationship between excessive parental control and mental distress. And, on the other hand, no study pointed to a reduction in stress. This is reinforced by a extensive meta-analysis of 53 studieswhich shows that this predictive style drastically reduces self-efficacy, worsens academic performance and increases different mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety in young people. No room to mature. The consequences of constantly “flying over” your children’s lives reach their tipping point when they reach university or enter the job market, where they suddenly have to mature overnight to face the usual problems without parental protection. Although we have already seen some Spanish universities asking parents not to go to higher education centers to claim in the name of their children that they are of legal age. And that these generations that have been so protected is later translated in less personal determination, a greater fear of intimacy when faced with something difficult and problems of social integration. The fact of not having faced frustrations in controlled environments because they have been avoided, ultimately leads to a fear of failure and, therefore, an avoidance of facing problems. Ultimately, maturation towards a functional adult is delayed. The academic impact. In this sense, already in 2017 a large study pointed out that university students with “helicopter parents” report lower academic performance, with worse social integration and, above all, with greater dependence on medications such as anxiolytics to deal with the psychological discomfort caused by the new reality. The figures behind it. Here, a recent work carried out with 697 Turkish adolescents pointed out that mothers have overprotective attitudes in 15.% of cases, compared to 8.8% that corresponds to fathers. Furthermore, the problem has early roots, since longitudinal studies show that high parental control is capable of predicting future depression in children. since 11 years old. And in the Spanish context, some analyzes suggest that structural factors such as continuous intensive work hours combined with pressure for academic success outside of school may be aggravating these patterns in current generations, creating a perfect breeding ground for overprotection. The mental cost. The psychological mechanism behind this emotional disaster is well documented and indicates that helicopter parenting frustrates the most basic psychological needs of minors, and above all autonomy. By removing them from different situations, the message sent to them is that they are not capable of doing it on their own, causing their self-esteem to plummet and they fail to value their abilities. This, in complicated situations such as decision-making in adulthood, is where the true effect of this overprotection will be seen, since it has always been resolved. And this is something that will mark them a lot. Images | freepik In Xataka | Adolescents up to 32 years old: neuroscience explains why the brain takes much longer than we thought to mature

There are people visually and economically exploiting “lo cuqui” as a tool against stress

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In the midst of 2026, the irony of our hyperconnected era has reached its peak. We are witnessing the rise of “maximalists of silence”a digital tribe that has decided to keep their phone notifications off 24 hours a day. What a decade ago was considered a serious breach of the social contract is today applauded as the definitive act of self-care. We live so saturated that ignoring others has become a survival strategy. From this need to turn off digital noise, we have moved on to shielding our physical homes. As Hailey Bieber herself explains in an article for the magazine Voguefaced with noisy neighbors or a stressful environment, the search for silence and peace has become essential. But the market, always attentive to our shortcomings, has been able to read this collective exhaustion. We are looking for tranquility, yes, but we have come across a new viral trend that turns that search into a highly consumable aesthetic. Is called cozymaxxingand it is the new way to visually and economically exploit our need to embrace “cuqui” so as not to go crazy. To understand the phenomenon, we must first define it. As explained in different lifestyle portalshe cozymaxxing is the intentional creation of a multi-sensory environment that cultivates tranquility, peace and extreme comfort. It’s about taking comfort to the limit (hence the suffix -maxxing) to calm the senses. At the level of interior design, this represents a radical paradigm shift. This trend comes to say a resounding “goodbye to minimalism”. Catalog houses, pristine, perfectly organized and often cold, no longer work. Now we are looking for overlapping textures, warm lighting, curved shapes and reading corners. In fact, one of the great unwritten rules of this trend on social networks is the dictatorship against the ceiling light (known on TikTok as the hated one big light). Only dim lamps and ambient light are acceptable. But doesn’t it remind you a little of hygge Danish? Not quite. He cozymaxxing It is basically “he hygge “on steroids”. While the Nordic concept seeks to simplify and share moments In a clear environment, this new trend born on TikTok has a shamelessly maximalist side: it’s about accumulating, layering blankets, collecting fluffy cushions and lighting multiple scented candles. The biology of comfort: an antidote to burnout If he cozymaxxing It is sweeping not only because of a question of pretty cushions; is a direct response to a widespread mental health crisis. According to the health portal Healthlinethe main reason for its success is the burnout (the burnout syndrome) and the frontal rejection of hustle culture or culture of constant effort. People are exhausted and desperately searching for “pockets of peace.” Science supports this need. As mental health experts point out consulted by The SkimmSurrounding ourselves with a comfortable and predictable environment through the five senses activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the one in charge of “rest and digest” functions). This directly reduces levels of cortisol – the stress hormone –, promotes emotional regulation and drastically improves sleep quality. In addition, there is a deep sociological component: the illusion of control. In a world marked by economic instability, climate anxiety and constant noise, as psychologist Ritika Suk Birah analyzes in Healthlinewe cannot control the outside world, but we can control the light, temperature and aroma of our living room. It is a biological and psychological defense mechanism. At this point, we must ask ourselves if we are really learning to take care of ourselves or if we have simply put a nice filter on our stress. Hailey Bieber herself recognize in Vogue that many of these buzzwords “tend to end up being a launching pad for brands to sell you more products you don’t need.” This romanticization of comfort connects directly with another phenomenon: the absolute aestheticization of domestic life. Just as we have seen how Generation Z romanticizes decadence and humidity with the controversial trend trash wall because “it remains authentic” (as we already documented in Xataka), he cozymaxxing aestheticizes the need for rest. By analyzing those peeling walls, we discovered that there is a “luxury in faking” a specific aesthetic. The problem arises when real self-care is replaced by compulsively buying the items that appear in viral videos so that our house looks “perfectly imperfect.” Having an “immaculate reading corner” or a spacious house isolated from noise is a luxury at a time when a large part of a generation shares tiny apartments or suffers from housing precariousness. There is an undeniable class privilege behind this aesthetic. Just as the “productivity gurus” had commodified silence with the #monkmode (monk mode), now the lifestyle influencers They have turned the simple act of lying on the couch into a business model. Resting is no longer an intimate and passive act, but rather a performative performance that requires a perfect showcase and, above all, an economic outlay. So that he cozymaxxing be valid in the age of TikTok, it is not enough to put on old pajamas; The algorithm requires sets of loungewear linen, designer essential oil diffusers, handmade ceramic mugs and blankets that cost the same as the electricity bill. We’ve transformed stress relief into a consumer good where, ironically, if your break isn’t Instagrammable, it doesn’t seem to count. Beyond consumerism, blindly immersing yourself in this trend carries psychological risks. The experts consulted by Healthline and The Skimm issue a crucial warning: if not done intentionally, the cozymaxxing It can lead to avoidance and isolation behaviors. Staying eternally under a heavy blanket with white noise in the background can stop being a way to recharge your batteries and become a way to escape from responsibilities or, worse still, to mask a picture of depression. This links to the social cost that we talked about at the beginning. Isolating ourselves in a blanket bunker, with our cell phone in “Do Not Disturb” mode permanently, frustrates our loved ones and disconnects us from reality. Therefore, extreme isolation is not healthy and they recommend that this search for … Read more

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